Newburgh EV owner gets multiple tickets for illegally parking while charging car, requests '21st century' parking policy changes
Stuart Sachs said he cannot park in the same direction of traffic while charging his Kia Niro because the handle would stick out into traffic.
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Newburgh business owner Stuart Sachs showed News 12 the three citations he has received over the last two weeks while his electric-powered Kia Niro was charging outside his studio on Lander Street.
Newburgh Parking Enforcement issued one for parallel parking in the reverse direction.
The city codes department issued two for charging the Kia on the sidewalk.
"I pull up to the garage door and just plug it in," Sachs explained, showing the path of the charger cable. "That sort of makes the most sense."
The charging port is on the driver's side of the car.
Sachs said he cannot park in the same direction of traffic while charging because the handle would stick out into traffic.
"It sticks out further than the mirror," he said. "If they've taken a mirror off, they can certainly take this off."
Sachs testified before the Newburgh City Council Monday evening, asking for some temporary exemptions for electric vehicle owners and for charging stations in municipal parking lots.
"It's a lot of work to be the one who says, 'Change everything,'" Sachs said, "but the truth is, electric cars are the way of the future."
A city spokesperson said parking on sidewalks forces pedestrians — including parents with strollers — into the street, making them less safe.
He also said parallel parking against traffic creates several hazards, especially when pulling out of the space because it is difficult for the driver to see oncoming traffic.
Sachs said all he can think to do now is to charge his Kia when the city is not looking and when traffic is light.
"I do it at night," he said laughing. "Codes goes off at 5 p.m. I start at 6 p.m. So for the past couple of days that's worked. That's all I can say. Hopefully, it will continue to work. I'm just trying to game my odds."
City officials told News 12 Wednesday they included funds for charging stations in this year's budget and are in the process of choosing a vendor to install them.
As for an exemptions, they said all drivers still must follow "common sense public safety provisions."
